The Heart of the Matter

| with
Rev. George Whitton | Archived Program

Program Overview

Unfortunately, over half of marriages end in divorce. Rather than become another unhappy statistic, there is an alternative. We can learn to create healthy relationships not just by happenstance but by learning the skills to keep our relationships healthy, loving and fun. On each episode of The Heart of the Matter, Rev. George will be joined by his co-hosts Tom and Joyce DeVoge, relationship specialists, taking calls and exploring ways to keep relationships alive, fresh and loving.

The ideas and opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect the teachings of Unity. Unity respects a wide range of spiritual thoughts and beliefs, as reflected in the diverse range of subjects presented on Unity Online Radio.

Sometimes in an intimate relationship, we want our own way. When this happens, our actions may tend to restrict the behavior of our partner to think, act or feel like we do. These behaviors are power tactics and are felt by our partners as dirty fighting.

Responsible complaining is an important skill for successful friendship. Complaining should involve criticism, blaming or attacking. Good listening skills are required for processing our partner's complaints.

One major difference between happy and unhappy couples is the ability to resolve conflict effectively with respect. Most of us learned only unfair and dirty tactics for arguing and fighting to settle differences. Negotiation is a step-by-step alternative to unfair tactics.

So often we think that if our partner does their part in being responsible in our relationship, then we'll do ours. This program stresses the importance of doing our part to support the relationship, no matter wgat our partner is contributing or not contributing.

All of us want to feel close and connected to our partner, but how do we do that? This program covers six important behaviors to avoid that undermine intimacy. In addition, we discuss six types of behavior that promoted couples feeling close and connected.

Individuals in relationships can develop resentments and grudges that can last long periods of time. Intimacy cannot be restored until the grudges are released. We’ll talk about ways to release, let go, and get back to the love.

How we feel about ourselves affects how successful we’ll be in our primary relationship. We provide tips for improving self-esteem so that your relationship isn’t hampered by a history of self-criticism.

Relationship triangles and jealousy—it is easy to get caught in triangulation with members of the opposite sex. This episode explores warning signs and suggests ways to maintain your integrity and your relationship.

We can learn to create healthy relationships not just by happenstance but by learning the skills to keep our relationships healthy, loving and fun. Join Rev. George on The Heart of the Matter this week to explore communication tools and how to read one another.

Not all of our inheritance is physical or material. Some of our inheritance from family concerns patterns and styles of relating to our intimate partners. We'll discuss how our social inheritance affects us.

We often are under the illusion that what we want in our intimate relationship is the same thing our partner wants. We’ll explore the healthy differences that exist between the sexes and how to use them to our advantage.

As we have noted, friendship depends upon being gentle. We simply cannot afford to be very angry with each other very often. Nonetheless, anger is a natural part of any close relationship and occurs with some frequency. The key is to manage the anger.

While differences attract us in the beginning of a close relationship, they can become sources of conflict after prolonged contact. Other sources of conflict stem from differences in gender, family histories, temperament, personality traits and brain biology. Join us to learn more.

We'll be discussing love languages and caring behaviors. There are many ways to express the love we feel for one another. We'll be discussing how to keep love vibrant through what we say and what we do.

We’ll be sharing techniques to keep your relationships healthy, loving, and fun. Dr. Tom and Joyce DeVoge, relationship experts, will join the discussion and give us ideas that will help you create loving friendships.

Host Bio

Rev. George Whitton is on staff at the New Thought Unity Center in Cincinnati and serves as director of radio. He has been attending Unity since 1979. He teaches classes and along with his wife Nancy, a licensed teacher, facilitates a midweek evening service at his Center.

As a licensed Unity teacher, George has hosted more than 1000 radio shows since 1997. George produces shows that are designed to provide information and inspiration so that we might live rich, abundant and peaceful lives.

Each week he is joined by co-hosts Tom and Joyce DeVoge Tom and his wife, Joyce, both certified Master Teachers and Trainers in PAIRS (Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills), founded the Cincinnati Relationship Center (CRC) in 2000. CRC is a sanctuary for people with personal and relationship concerns. The center offers adolescent and adult psychotherapy as well as marital counseling. Tom and Joyce also conduct PAIRS workshops for couples and relationship classes for couples and individuals, as well as recommitment counseling for couples.